Winery Visit- Chateau Morrisette

Recently two of my friends and I went to Chateau Morrisette to participate in a wine tasting and see where the wines are made. Due to recent weather, we were unable to take the parkway, as their website suggests. I was disappointed with this, since the parkway is so beautiful. Anyway, after a bit of driving we finally saw the welcome sign!

Welcome Sign telling visitors where to go. 

The only thing that was better than seeing the welcome sign was seeing the actual winery! This place really is styled like a french Chateau! I was beyond impressed! I am so impressed that one day, once I find the perfect man, I want to get married here. No joke! I just adore the look of this winery. It'll be even better when the grapes are growing on the vines. Oh winter! How you continue to disappoint me! Not surprisingly, Chateau Morrisette does not grow all of the grapes used in their wines. They do, however, try to source their grapes from the most local growers. 

The "Chateau" of Chateau Morrisette

Empty Vines, but at least there wasn't a cloud in the sky. 

Walking into the winery was like walking into my new home. There is a large lighting fixture that reminds you of the movie "A Knight's Tale." If only Heath Ledger had been there, I think my life would have been complete. 

Light fixture that ignited my imagination!

As with every proper home, there was wine for days! Lucky for my friends and me, wine tastings were only five dollars and you were able to take the glass home. This is my kind of winery. The winery, and all of its glory, was purchased by the Morrisette family in the early 1970's. The Morrisette family had made a large fortune running the Morrisette Paper Company in Greensboro, NC. When the patriarch of this family retired, he bought the land, built the house and sent his son to school to learn about wine making. 

WINE!

The server for our tasting was named Ben. He had an associates degree in oenology and viticulture from a community college in North Carolina. Ben was recently engaged and had just bought a house with his soon to be bride. These details may seem insignificant, but I feel like they add to the home-iness of the winery. Everyone there was warm, inviting, willing to tell you all about themselves and willing to listen to you. Ben was so nice, he actually gave us a bonus sampling of our choice of wine! We sampled through the following wines:

• 2011 Dry Rose: This wine had a lemon nose with a heavy pepper finish. I was not too impressed with it. The finish was a bit too overwhelming. This wine is suggested to be paired with spicy sausage, perhaps that would negate the finish. 
• 2011 Cabernet Franc: I enjoyed the fruity nose on this wine. It had major hints of strawberry. 
• Liberty: The sales from this wine go to St. Francis of Assisi Service Dogs in Roanoke, Virginia. This is in conjunction with the 'dog friendly' feel of the winery. The nose of this wine has hints of plum and the body is very light. 
• The Black Dog: I really enjoyed the finish on this red. The overall wine was very smooth with a well blended finish that did not assault the pallet. In comparison to many main stream reds, this wine had a very low tannin composition. 
• 2011 Vidal Blanc: This was one of my favorite wines that I tasted at Chateau. The nose had major green apple and lemon grass nodes. The body was very light with a crisp finish. The overall taste was citrus and lemon. I will definitely seek out this wine in my local Kroger. 
• Our Dog Blue: HONEY! This wine is all about honey! From a honey comb nose to a honey suckle finish, this wine is the bee's knees!
• Sweet Mountain Laurel: The nose on this wine was reminiscent of pink grapefruit. The body and taste of the wine echoed the nose. Overall this wine is extremely tart. 
• Red Muscadine: This wine reminded me of sweet tarts candy. I do not care for sweet tarts. I did enjoy the mouth feel of this wine. It was almost as if it were carbonated. 
• Farmhouse Sangria: This red sangria seems like it is half lime juice, which I do not mind. If I were to serve this wine at a party, I would probably add some rum to it. 8.5% alcohol just isn't enough for a party wine like sangria. Chateau Morrisette will actually be releasing a white sangria this summer. I am very eager to see what it tastes like. 
• Sweet Peach: The peaches used to make this wine are grown in South Carolina and Georgia. This wine definitely needs to be served chilled. With a long finish and a subtle spice, this is a perfect summer wine. 
• Frosty Dog (bonus tasting): I wanted to like this wine! Its a Riesling blend, which I generally love. The finish of this wine is just too sweet for me. I felt like I was eating a spoonful of sugar!

I will definitely be returning to Chateau Morrisette! I had an amazing experience there and I hope to have many more to come! When I return hopefully the vines will be in bloom and the restaurant will be open!  

Bri and I in the tasting room. Cheers!